A love story about a willful young woman who wanted to live freely and a young man who just wanted to be loved for who he is. Great for readers who love a good love story and fantastic writing.

The book opened in 1714 in France, when 23 year old Addie LaRue, tired of being told what to do and wanted to escaped an arranged marriage, sold her soul to the devil (plainly called the shadow in the book) in exchange for freedom, ‘free from courtship, free from marriage, free from everything except Villon. Left alone to grow. And dream.’ The shadow granted her immortality. She was 300 years old in 2014, and had lived many lives, with many names, but nobody remembered her; memories of her ‘erased by a closing door, an instant out of sight, a moment of sleep. Unable to leave a mark on anyone, or anything’, until one day, at The Book, a young man named Henry, remembered her. And it goes without saying, they fell in love. But how was it that Henry could remember her?

The timeline went back and forth - from when Addie LaRue was still trying to grasp her ‘invisibility’ and working her way around it, travelling to places beyond her imagination were she to live her previous life, to the present moment in 2014 when she met Henry, an employee at The Book bookstore, who also had struggles of his own.

Truth to be told – I’m ambivalent about this book. The good things first. I was enamored by Schwab’s writing: her descriptions of people, places and emotions were just beautiful. I had many passages highlighted, one of which was about Henry: “His heart has a draft. It lets in light. It lets in storms. It lets in everything.” So simple, yet so profound. Isn’t that just beautiful?

Another one: “Being forgotten, she thinks, is a bit like going mad. You begin to wonder, what is real, if you are real. After all, how can a thing be real if it cannot be remembered?”

Henry’s entrance to the story kind of lifted the story a little bit. In fact, I thought his character, as compared to Addie’s, had more dimension and his life a little bit more interesting even though it was only set in New York. And New York felt more real as compared to the other places like Spain and England which Addie had also visited. I was also intrigued by the shadow, which I didn’t get much of, and only saw more of him towards the end.

Unfortunately for me, unlike many other readers, I found it difficult to connect to Addie, who, besides her strong desire to live freely, hardly grew as a character. 300 years into her life, she was still a 23-year-old. And although Estelle was portrayed as someone whom Addie cared dearly, I just couldn’t feel it – the bond and the relationship was told, but wasn’t shown.

Like the title, Addie felt ‘invisible’ to me. Just fleeting moments of her travels here and there, times spent with her lovers here and there. And just when she was in a moment of struggle, fighting for her life, she’d be saved by the shadow, or she’d wish for him to come save her, even though she knew she’d liven no matter what. There was hardly a moment of tension, or a momentous event throughout her 300 years of life.

If I were to describe this novel with graphic lines, except for the intriguing start and a faster pace towards the end, the middle would be represented by wavy lines across the graph.

Overall the book was written beautifully, so much so that the writing itself overshadowed the characters and its story. But after reading some reviews, I can see that I fall in the minority. Maybe this book just wasn’t for me.

That said, I loved the idea of the story and I'm certain that many others will enjoy this book, unfortunately not me. Definitely my loss! But I'm looking forward to reading Schwab’s popular Shades of Magic series – that’s already on my shelf.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read and review this much raved-about book in exchange for an honest review, I'm truly thankful! All opinions are mine.

"It is sad, of course, to forget. But it is a lonely thing, to be forgotten."

First of all, I want to thank Tor Publishing for letting me have an E-ARC copy to review of this book. I practically groveled at their feet, I wanted this book so badly. I am forever grateful to have the chance to read this book early, at what felt like the perfect time.

Just as a short, short summary: Addie LaRue sells her soul in order to live for as long as she wants. The only catch is that everyone Addie ever meets will not remember her...until one day, someone does.

This book felt timeless, just like Addie. The way Schwab jumps between times and stories in Addie's life were just so well done and kept the book moving at such a great pace. Things felt like they were progressing yet also like we had just scratched the surface. I sat down to read one night, starting at 70%. I kept reading and reading and I KNEW I had to be close to the end, but I was dreading the end so much, I refused to check on my percentage bar. I just did not know how this book would wrap up and I honestly just plain ol did not want it to end.

"Books, she has found, are a way to live a thousand lives - or to find strength in a very long one."

Schwab has been quoted saying this is the closest she will probably ever come to writing a love story and I am absolutely okay with that. One of the things I have loved the most about her books I have read thus far is that a love interest/story is not the front and center of her books. I feel like Addie LaRue tells a love story, but not between Addie and someone, but rather a love story between Addie and life. Addie's drive and determination and her ability to maintain her sense of wonder is so inspiring. But also all the loves along the way were all perfectly written.

Every character felt just as fleshed out as Addie. I thoroughly enjoyed the dichotomy of Luc and Henry. As always, Schwab does a wonderful job presenting a character you are supposed to dislike, someone who is supposed to be "bad" and then explores more than just that in those characters. The tree in the graveyard scene really...got me.

"But this is how you walk to the end of the world.
This is how you live forever.
Here is one day, and here is the next, and the next, and you take what you can, savor every stolen second, cling to every moment, until its gone."

I think I will stick to a shorter review this time around. I feel almost certain that I will want to reread this book once I finally have a physical copy in my hands and will post a longer, extremely detailed review after that. I normally enjoy my ebook experience, but I could just feel the longing for the physical copy of this book. I think it will be even better to own this one physically.

If you take anything from this review, it should be that you need to pre-order this book ASAP. And read it as soon as it comes in. This book felt like home to me, like it was made for me. I know it sounds overdramatic, but I just cannot express how much this book impacted me.

Everything you've heard about V.E. Schwab being the Queen of Fantasy and her amazing writing is true. All of it.

In a rare play, she managed to bowl me over with the beauty and complexity of this novel. One doesn't usually come to fantasy for heart, but this book delivers. A story about a girl cursed to be forgotten is a story you as a reader will never forget.

Six out of five for this masterpiece.

Absolutely masterful. The prose, the characters, the story. I've been longing for a book like this for so long, and I absolutely loved it.

I've been looking forward to this book for years ever since I first hear V.E. Schwab talk about drafting in on Twitter. I was excited to get my hands on an ARC. I've already recommended this book to my many fantasy-loving friends.

What makes this book stand out is how seamlessly the setting flits between the 1700's and modern times. Rather than telling the story chronologically, the reader is pulled between two timelines. This unique pacing makes for stronger world-building and bigger gut-punches.

Part-way through the novel, I found the rhythm becoming a little predictable. However, the unpredictable, yet incredibly satisfying ending makes this a hands-down, must-read, five star novel.

This book examines the nature of love, inspiration, identity and the marks we leave on this world. It is for book and art lovers who cherish a good love story, a bit of the supernatural, and rumination on the nature of our existence and what it means to be seen. It follows the story of Addie, a young woman who makes a deal with the devil and agrees to give him her soul in exchange for freedom and eternal life. The only catch is that no one will be able to remember her once she leaves their sight. Beautifully written it takes the reader around the world and through history as it weaves a beautiful tale of love, regret and hope.

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue was a magical read, with words that flowed in a lyrical almost whimsical kind of way. The synopsis grabs your attention and makes you wonder, what would you give up to live forever?

Addie was stubborn as hell and I loved it. A muse full of wonder and adventure even after years spent exploring Europe. We catch up to her almost 300 years into her life and this girl has not changed one bit from who she was in 1714. No character development happened, and I swear it was from sheer stubbornness. That and I don’t think she needed to change. She was the spontaneous friend who is warm from the start and draws you. Who looks like she knows some great secrets and you want to know them too. All Addie wanted from her life was to find love and explore the world beyond her tiny town, which she ironically never strays far from, except I always felt like while she loved exploring she always seemed to want that love more. Someone to share her explorations with.

The curse itself was so intricately designed. Schwab does a great job of outlining it, showing how it works and Addie discovering how herself through a series of flashbacks to the beginning of it. Addie cannot make an actual mark on the world, but she can plant ideas which was so fascinating and tricky. While the lives she touches cannot exactly remember her, they remember the idea of her.

Pacing wise, it was a slow read. It’s meant to be a slow read though, we’ve got 300+ years to explore with Addie. We don’t even reach the situation in the synopsis until almost 50% through the book. It’s all story and world-building. My only complaint is I felt like I was rushing towards that someone remembering her and didn’t fully appreciate the flashbacks until after that plot point occurred. The writing was just beautiful though, full of similes and metaphors. Descriptions so well written you can picture a moment perfectly in your mind down to the last detail.

Can you really be in love with someone if they’re your only option, or at that point is it just complacency? Can someone fall in love with you if they only know you for a day?

Love was what I thought to be at the core of this book. Addie for all her talk of independence and not wanting to belong to someone truly just wants to be loved for being herself. To be forgotten time and time again by those she feels she could have a connection with when they leave the room or fall asleep. I loved her dance with the darkness, the devil who holds her hostage under the curse. He was such an intriguing character and I loved their moments, years, together. While at the beginning of the book I wanted to skip the flashbacks, at the end I want to skip to them. Then we have Henry who remembers her, but is it enough to just remember? Henry was kind, sweet and so utterly lost in a world moving forward and leaving him behind. I understood him but just because he can remember Addie does that make it love or just convenience.

This is not going to be the book for everyone. From writing style to pacing and the non-ending ending I can see quite a few people being upset or disliking it. If you are not a fan of The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, which is the closest writing style I can come up with, maybe try a sample before straight buying it. For those who love a poetic picture being painted and don’t mind a slow pace, grab it immediately.

I don't possess the words to adequately describe this book and how it made me feel.  Schwab says that over the nearly ten years she worked on it, she put her heart and soul, teeth and blood and bones into this one.  And it shows.  It's a magnificent work of art.

Imagine if you were forgotten by everyone you meet.  In your presence, they know and recognize you, but the second they leave the room or wake up beside you, you're a stranger.  Because of this, you can't hold a job - no employer would know who you were.  With no way to earn money, you have no home.  No closet full of clothes, no belongings, no friends.  No loved ones who remember you.  It's an incredibly lonely life, but over the three hundred year span of this story, Addie really lives and experiences all the world has to offer - beauty, pain, love, hate, heartbreak, suffering - everything you can imagine.

It's difficult to review this without spoilers, but trust me when I say this book offers a profound and thought-provoking examination of life and what it means to live.  A blend of survival story, love story, historical fiction, and magical realism, you'll experience a wide spectrum of emotions.  I actually teared up at one point, and trust me - that's quite a feat. 

With beautiful writing, quotes you'll make a note of, and extraordinary character development, I can't recommend this book enough.  If I could give it more than five stars, I absolutely would.  It will linger in your mind long after finishing the last page.   

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I was a bit unsure about this book as romance is not a genre I normally read. However, this is a book that catches you and doesn't let go. Imagine being alone for 300 years. Addie faces this dilemma after making a deal with the devil to save herself from an arranged marriage. As the months and years pass Addie must face a life of isolation, until Henry, in a bookstore, says her name. This is a book i will recommend to all of my patrons - a winner indeed.

Beautifully written and in interesting concept of a woman who inadvertently sells her soul to the devil to avoid getting married, becoming immortal and forgotten in seconds.
My main issue was the middle felt so long and slow that I got annoyed, up until the last 50-70 pages or so. Lol

Adeline LaRue is cursed. After making an ill-advised bargain with a Dark Power, Addie learns that her newfound freedom comes with an unexpected cost; she is forgotten by everyone she meets. So begins her foray into a crueler, wider world; far from the provincial French village of her birth. Addie sets out to wander the world, voraciously pursuing her freedom and trying her best to leave a mark, one that will last despite her curse. And then, one day, she meets someone who remembers her....

I think what I love most about Addie and her story is that, in her shoes, I think I would have made the same choices. The beginning of the book was hard for me to get through (I may have empathized a bit too deeply with Addie) and I hated to see her struggle to be free in a world indifferent to her desires. Her courage and determination floored me, and I loved that her 'joie de vivre' was insatiable and enduring. She refused to give up her hard-won autonomy, and when she found someone who truly saw her, she grabbed on with both hands and pulled! Addie's complex relationship with the Darkness was also a highlight of the novel; it kept me reading on, wondering what happened in New Orleans??? And who wears a leather jacket in that sort of heat???

Overall, I was really pleased with this piece of art. Schwab has a beautiful writing style, and her characters are so memorable, regardless of any curses! Fans new and old will not be disappointed in Addie's story, though it does have a different flavor from past novels. The magical aspect of the story seems to take a bit of a backseat to the human motivations, which dominate the pages. There's some great LGBTQ+ representation in the main and secondary characters, which is something I always look for in new fiction. And I was pleasantly surprised to find an unconventional ending to what I worried would be a straightforward boy meets girl romance. The characters are flawed and raw and so emotional, I couldn't help but see my own struggles within them. So before you dive in, be ready to ask yourself the question:

"Do you think a life has any value if one doesn't leave some mark upon the world?"

This was my first ever Netgalley ARC, and let me also tell you that this was the first ever book in ebook form that I have ever finished from start to finish, much less devoured within 24 hours. As a note, I LOVED this book and was hoping it’d be perfect for our junior high (7th and 8th grader) public school library, but because of a few of the more described scenes, I think it would be better suited for a high school library and general public library. I will be purchasing this book for my own personal library though!

Here's the premise:
It's July 19th, 1714 in Villon-sur-Sarthe, France, and Addie LaRue makes a desperate decision that alters the entire course of her life. She makes a deal to change the trajectory of her future but ends up grappling with the curse of her decision: a life doomed to be forgotten by everyone she meets. The only way out? Surrendering her soul to the shadows in the darkness. Three-hundred years later, everything she's come to know about her curse seems to change when a boy utters three words she's never once heard over the course of her long life: I remember you.

Now to the good bits.
This book is part star-crossed love story, part magic, part historical fiction, part "how do I describe this book?" It's a book that has every characteristic of a 6-star read for me, and it finds itself in good company among The Starless Sea and The Ten Thousand Lives of January. Matt Haig's How to Stop Time tugged at the corners of my mind at various times as well. So what are the qualities of a 6-star read? These are the big elements:
-- chapters that go back and forth between the past and the present and various locations (I love history!)
-- a variety of settings (all sorts of places in France, London, New York, Florence ... the list goes on)
-- an incredibly strong, resourceful, smart and cunning female protagonist who makes mistakes but is quick to learn and truly makes the most out of a desperate decision gone wrong
-- a truly diverse cast
-- magical elements (and incredibly magical writing -- the kind you just fall into)
-- a great combination of character-driven storyline with plot-driven elements that had me not only connecting with the characters (smiling in their joy, crying in their heartbreak) but also refusing to set the book down
-- a very present storytelling motif
-- an ending full of possibility (but in the best way)

What else is there to say really? I loved it. My heart is both broken and full, shattered yet complete.

Victoria Schwab has become a favorite author over the years, but this book seems extra special, and I'm so glad she chose to share it with us, this 10-year story in the making.

Now, off to eat my feelings and continue contemplating this beautiful story.

I would like to thank NetGalley for providing a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is a novel spanning centuries and written in third person with chapters that alternate between character perspectives and timelines. There are also sections that consist of art piece descriptions. This novel tells the story of Addie LaRue who at 23 years of age, makes a deal with a dark entity to live forever in exchange for her soul. Addie is born during the 18th century and lives in a small town in France. Driven by a desire to escape the path chosen for her by those around her, she is determined to belong to no one. She soon discovers the price she must pay for living forever is never being remembered. Addie goes through centuries trying everything to undo her curse and somehow leave a mark. She eventually resigns herself to her fate until the day she meets Henry Samuel, a young man who is both like and unlike her in many ways. He changes her outlook on life and inspires Addie to want to alter both their designated trajectories. I loved this novel as an exploration of what we humans want most out of life. Some people desire to leave a lasting impression on others. Others value their independence above all else. V. E. Schwab does an excellent job of dissecting how we build memories and illuminating the power of ideas. I loved the numerous mentions of art in the book, particularly the sections consisting of descriptions of art pieces mentioned in the story. I felt these served as essential devices to show how art can combine both memories and ideas to preserve history. I also appreciated the author’s exploration of the motivations of both protagonists and antagonists. I felt by doing so, the reader is better able to understand and appreciate the actions taken by the characters. I loved the author’s prose and she had several interesting, memorable lines about being human. The Life of Addie Larue is beautifully written, brilliant exploration of the human condition wrapped up in an engrossing story spanning several countries and centuries. I highly recommend it. 4.5/5 stars

It is 1714, and it is 23-year-old Adeline LaRue’s wedding day. She has never been happy in her small village of Villon, where she is expected to marry and raise children, to live and die in the same place she has always been - and so she flees from her husband-to-be, and makes a deal for freedom, to live for as long as she chooses, to have a life that she has control over.

And the god, or darkness, or devil - whatever you want to call it - grants her her wish, but with a caveat: she is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets.

Fast-forward to New York City, 2014: Addie has lived for hundreds of years. She’s witnessed inventions, revolutions, wars, artistic movements; she has lived in France, Spain, England, America ... and yet she has never had a home, never been able to own enough to make her place somewhere in the world, never experienced friendship or love. Once someone turns their back to her, it is like she never existed at all.

Until one day, she meets a Henry, who remembers her.

This book was a dark, twisty tale, spanning centuries, dealing with love and loss, treachery and trickery, heartbreak and happiness. Addie LaRue was a complex and fascinating character, and her life was thrilling - but I honestly really enjoyed Henry! (Not only because he owned a bookstore, although that really did help.)

I’ve been following V.E. Schwab for years, ever since I discovered the Shades of Magic trilogy, and so I’ve heard about this book that she’s had in the works for a decade. I’m always astounded by her writing style and the way she can draw me into a story - and this one definitely did not disappoint.

I don't find the right words to describe how I'm feeling right now.

Literally one of the most beautiful book I've ever read so far. I'm beyond amazed by Addie's story, her stubbornness and her strong desire to live and be FREE. Victoria again showed how powerful her writing can be. I felt so many things during my reading. I loved every single word, sentence, page.
I had CHILLS so many time.

"After all, how can a thing be real if it cannot be remembered?"

This is a must-read.
This is a 10-years-old-work that bloomed into a poetic and wonderful masterpiece.
This is Addie's story. That won't be forgotten. Forever remembered.

Thank you again, Tor, for giving me the chance to read it in advance ❤

This is a wonderful and inventive story. I enjoyed it immensely. though it was a mixture of historical fiction, the modern day love story shone though. I expected a bit more in the historical bits, and that could have been developed a bit more, which would have enhanced my overall experience - but still the book worked very well as it was.

This is a beautiful, enthralling tale that will pull you in from the first word to the very last.

When Addie LaRue makes a deal with the devil to live forever she did not know she would be cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets. The deal has forced her to live the life of a wanderer, always moving from place to place and finding small ways to leave her mark on the world. She lives a lonely 300 years being forgotten until she meets a man who remembers her name and nothing is the same.

The idea of this story feels refreshing and new. It is told with fantastic descriptions, amazing character development and unfolds in ways you won’t expect. I couldn’t put it down and it’s the type of story I know will stick me long after I’ve read it. I can not recommend it enough.

Another absolutely breathtaking and unforgettable reading experience by a genius storyteller! Victoria Schwab has created a stunningly gorgeous narrative once again.

Beautiful. Brutal. Deep.

Look, this isn’t a sunshine and rainbows story. I didn’t expect it to be. Schwab is a genius. She thought out every piece of the curse and how it’d affect things.

I loved the historical aspects.

I love the intensity. The depth. The range of emotions.

Bottom line: I loved it.

"Do you think a life has any value if one doesn't leave some mark upon the world?"

Three hundred years after selling her soul to a sinister being in a desperate attempt to escape a quaint yet suffocating life in rural France, Addie finds herself in twenty-first century New York City, slowly losing her grip on humanity. In return for this immortality, she is cursed to be forgotten by every person she encounters the second she leaves their sight. Until one spring day, in a dusty used bookstore, when she finds a man named Henry. Henry remembers her, can speak her name and see her -- truly see her. And has secrets of his own.

What a beautiful, unique novel. Addie LaRue is a remarkable protagonist, a woman who feels familiar and brand new all at once, someone we have the privilege of remembering every time we look away from the pages. Schwab has crafted a compelling, heartbreaking story of loneliness and companionship that transcends lifetimes.

(4.5/5: For readers of fantasy, historical fiction, literary fiction, speculative fiction, and those that seek a different kind of love story.)